The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Achillea plant, botanically known as Achillea millefolium ‘Apricot Delight’ and will be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name, ‘Apricot Delight’. The new cultivar of Achillea is an herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
‘Apricot Delight’ was derived from a breeding program that focused on obtaining Achillea cultivars with a long blooming habit and flower colors that are resistant to fading. ‘Apricot Delight’ was selected in the summer of 2001 as a whole plant mutation that arose from repeated selections from seed originally sown of the seed strain Achillea ‘Summer Pastels’ (not patented) in Boskoop, The Netherlands.
‘Apricot Delight’ was selected as unique primarily for its sturdy stems, its compact plant habit and its salmon pink colored flowers. ‘Summer Pastels’, the parent strain, produces plants with variable plant habits and flowers with variable colors and color-fastness. ‘Apricot Delight’ differs from its closest comparison cultivar, Achillea millefolium ‘Appleblossom’ (not patented), in having a more compact plant habit and flowers that are salmon red in color versus pink. ‘Apricot Delight’ is more densely foliaged, has shorter stem internodes, and is shorter in height than ‘Appleblossom’. ‘Apricot Delight’ is similar in bloom period and plant habit to ‘Wonderful Wampee’ from the same breeding program, however ‘Wonderful Wampee’ has clear pink flowers and is slightly taller.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by basal cuttings in under the direction of the inventor in Lancaster, Pa. in September of 2002. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.